Activity Summary: Chikyu Chronicles takes the reader on an adventure to the middle of the ocean, where tectonic plates collide at the Japan Trench. Learn about how scientists study cores to understand why and how earthquakes occur, and what we can do to prevent future destruction.

Climb aboard Chikyu, a giant Japanese research ship, and follow a team of scientists from around the world as they try to uncover the secrets of earthquakes and tsunamis from a subduction zone. Their mission, called Expedition 405: JTRACK, takes them to the bottom of the ocean near the Japan Trench. There, they drill into the seafloor to collect rock samples, take measurements, and install special sensors deep underground.

In this comic book, you’ll discover what life is like on a research ship for more than 100 days. You’ll see how scientists study the Earth using core samples, tools that work while drilling, and even temperature sensors buried in faults. Somewhere between the helicopters, the loud piu piu piu of magnetometers, and a spaghetti noodle the size of the Eiffel Tower… science is happening.